Trainer Gerald Ryan believes that promising filly Perignon has the talent to end up in a race like the 2015 Thousand Guineas during the 2015 Spring Racing Carnival.
Perignon could be set for the Thousand Guineas during the 2015 Spring Racing Carnival. Photo by: Steve Hart
Perignon was an early-running two-year-old that stamped herself as a Magic Millions contender when she took out the TAB Rewards Plate (1200m) at Canterbury on December 27 and she went on to finish a credible fifth behind Le Chef in the $2 million event at the Gold Coast on January 10.
The Snitzel filly failed to fire in the Group 2 Reisling Stakes (1200m) at Royal Randwick on March 7, but she returned to her best form with a second place finish behind Speak Fondly in the Group 2 Magic Night Stakes (1200m) at Rosehill Gardens on March 14 and she was set to contest the Group 1 Sires Produce Stakes (1400m) at Royal Randwick on April 6 before she was scratched from the race due to injury.
Fears were held over the long-term future of Perignon due to the injury, but Ryan told Racing Ahead that the injury was not as severe as first thought and he said that he is thrilled with the physical condition of the three-year-old ahead of her 2015 Spring Racing Carnival campaign that could be highlighted by a crack at the Group 1 Thousand Guineas (1600m) at Caulfield on October 10.
“She has done really well,” Ryan said.
“She hurt her leg and we had to scratch her from the Sires, but it was nowhere near as damaged as we thought it was.
“She has done four weeks pre-training out at Hawkesbury and she will come into Rosehill next week, but where she goes is up in the air at the moment and we are just going to play it by ear and see where she ends up.
“She is another one that has got really strong behind and she wasn’t mature enough to do what she was doing, so she has done really well.
“She is probably a filly that will hopefully measure up and be on track for a race like the Thousand Guineas.”
Another rising three-year-old filly that Ryan is hopeful will develop into a Group 1 contender during the 2015 Spring Racing Carnival is the lightly-raced Muzyka.
Muzyka made her racing debut with a third place finish at Gosford on April 2 before she hit the line strongly to finish fourth in the Listed Fernhill Handicap (1600m) at Royal Randwick on April 11 and Ryan feels that the Group 1 Crown Oaks (2500m) at Flemington is the right race for the daughter of Danehill Dancer.
“I would love to get her over 2000 metres and see what she can do,” Ryan said.
“She ran third coming from last at Gosford over 1200 and I jumped her straight to 1600 nine days later and she ran fourth in a Stakes race.
“She is a filly that we always thought was an Oaks filly and she is one that I am looking forward to getting over a bit of ground.”
Ryan has not had a runner in the Thousand Guineas since Melito finished second behind Irish Lights in the 2009 edition of the race.
